Article in Columbia Journalism Review by Norman Pearlstine, 1/6/25
Headline: “Trump, the Public, and the Press”
Subhead: “The billionaire class has proved itself a poor steward of media. Journalists must redouble their efforts to expose the threat to democracy.”
“. . .Even before taking office, the prospect of Trump’s controlling the White House, Congress, and Supreme Court frightened owners of once-proud news organizations. Some seem willing to undermine editorial independence to curry favor with the incoming president.
“Billionaires, once thought to be the saviors of journalism, are proving themselves poor stewards of media companies. It is always dangerous to generalize, but several billionaires who have purchased media companies treat their acquisitions as sidelines they can run without much hands-on attention. They believe that running a media company must be easier than whatever business made them rich and that their talent and training are easily transferable from their primary business to media. They also trust their instincts more than others’ experience.”